Found Me Twice
by Crystalbluu
Summary: Set after Tess reveals Mitchie's secret. The campers of Camp Rock are going on a hiking trip! What happens when Tess sings Mitchie's song to Shane and Mitchie runs off into the woods? Shane/Mitchie. Now a two-shot!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: For my 'Diary of a Nerd' fans, the chapter is almost done! Yay, finally! But I needed a break from the same old, same old to refresh my mind and decided to do a Camp Rock fic for now. I'll be seeing you guys soon, hope you like this! I alos hope I got the characters' personalities correct. I've read a few Camp Rock stories and soem of them feature waaay OOC Shane or soemthing. We'll see.

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Mitchie Torres was lying facedown into her bed, using one of her mom's sweatshirts as a pillow. The mattress was bare, for she had not yet pulled together enough courage to gather her things from Tess Tyler's 'popular girl' cabin. Her familiar quilt, her clothes, and most importantly, her song book still resided in her former home.

Mitchie groaned, rolling over to look up at the ceiling. Yesterday had been one of the worst days in her entire sixteen years of age. What she had wanted to be a summer full of music ended up being a summer of lies, peer pressure, and loss. Mitchie closed her eyes tightly, trying to get the image of Shane Gray's disappointed face out of her head from when Tess had exposed her secret in front of the entire camp.

"I deserved it," she whispered softly, willing herself not to cry again.

She had, after all, cried for a good hour into the arms of her new friend, Caitlyn Gellar, after the incident. And now, to think that she had to go on the camp field trip in the morning made her mouth grow unbearably dry.

It was considered the halfway point in the time spent at Camp Rock, the time when the entire camp took a nature hike into the nearby woods. The campers were to separate into groups with a chaperone, and would then proceed to do various activities.

An alarm clock a few feet away from Mitchie suddenly rang, causing her to jump slightly and her mom to turn it off.

"You'd better get up, Sweetie," Mrs. Torres advised softly. "You still have to get your things so you have something to wear for today."

Mitchie sighed, pulling the sweatshirt over her head while her mother opened the curtains to let light flood into the room. She could already tell that today was not going to be one of her better days.

Mitchie finally climbed out of her bunk and helplessly tried to smooth the wrinkles of her shirt. It was the same shirt she had worn the day before and at the moment she would have burnt it if it wasn't the only clothing she had.

"Wish me luck, Mom," she said in a deadened tone, stepping out the door of the cabin.

It was slightly cooler today than usual, and Mitchie crossed her arms while she walked briskly across Camp Rock's campus. Luckily it was reasonably early in the morning, which meant only a handful of campers were available to send her a laugh or glare. By the time she reached Tess's cabin, she was already feeling unconfident and only knocked lightly on the door.

Tess Tyler's face appeared from behind the door but the blonde did not bother to open the screen. She smirked arrogantly at Mitchie before asking, "What do _you_ want?"

"I just came for my things," Mitchie mumbled, suddenly finding her brown boots very interesting.

"Oh," Tess replied, then began to laugh. "If you thought I was actually going to stand another minute looking at those horrid clothing items and disgusting quilt, you're wrong."

Mitchie's head snapped up. "What do you mean?"

"It means I had Ella and Peggy dump all your stuff down by the lake," Tess stated, sneering. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to find the perfect outfit for today. I'm sure Shane will be needing my comfort after what you did to him."

And then, before Mitchie could retort, the cabin door was slammed in her face. No longer afraid, Mitchie let out a small shriek of anger as she turned and started walking toward the lake. She had known Tess was mean but now the rich bitch had truly shown her colors.

Mitchie was twenty feet away from the docks that held painful memories of Shane when she spotted her bag on the lake's shoreline. Packed haphazardly, quite a few of her belongings had blown into the cold water during the night and her quilt was no where to be seen. She realized as she was shoving the clothing into the bag that someone must have stolen it. And then, as she was digging through her bag, she realized with a jolt that her beloved song book was no where to be seen. After frantically searching the entire shoreline of the lake for fifteen minutes, Mitchie finally stopped in defeat.

She was extremely close to tears by the time she made it back to the cabin she and her mother shared. When Mrs. Torres saw her daughter's distress, she immediately rushed over and engulfed her into a hug.

"Can't I just stay with you in the kitchen, Mom?" Mitchie asked. "Please?"

Mrs. Torres shook her head and pulled Mitchie away from her slightly. "No, you can't, Mitchie. You got yourself into this situation and I'm going to expect you to get yourself out of it."

Mitchie nodded, turning her head away so her Mom wouldn't see the tear that was now streaking down her cheek. She took deep breath, held it for a second, then let it out in a rush.

"Okay."

Mitchie turned to her bag and pulled out a comfortable pair of jeans and a green hoodie. She was tired of trying to be something she wasn't and it felt good to be wearing her own style of clothing. Besides, who was there for her to impress now? Certainly not Shane, anymore.

Mitchie finished her look by running a hairbrush through her brown, glossy hair before smiling in goodbye to Mrs. Torres.

"Try to have a good time today, okay?" Mrs. Torres asked. "And do it while you're being the Mitchie that _I_ know and love."

Mitchie nodded slowly before turning and heading out the door. She knew that if she hugged her mom once again she would probably start to cry. This time the cold air seemed to calm Mitchie's nerves as she headed for the center of the camp where everyone was meeting. By the time she got there, the majority of the campers were already standing, waiting for Brown's announcements. Because she couldn't spot Caitlyn, Mitchie hung off to the side of the crowd, pulling her hood over her head in hopes that people would stop staring at her.

"Good morning, campers!" Brown bellowed into a microphone. He went on to explain that there would be twenty groups with six campers to a group.

Mitchie's eyes wandered off as Brown continued to recount various rules while in the woods. Her heart suddenly jumped when she spotted Shane making his way over to where the other councilors stood. He was wearing a pair of dark sunglasses and had his guitar strapped to his back. She immediately felt a pang of guilt; he looked so depressed.

". . . and now I shall be announcing the groups. Group one with councilor Jack Adams, Trevor Lloyd, Stacey Chinn, Eric Vaughn, Caitlyn Gellar . . ."

Mitchie's heart sank. She and Caitlyn were not in the same group. Of course, it was a bit of a stretch to hope that out of roughly 120 campers she and Caitlyn would be in the same group.

" . . . Group thirteen with councilor Shane Gray . . ."

Mitchie's ears perked up when she heard Shane's name being called. She listened intently as Brown listed the names in her group: Peggy DuPree, Tess Tyler, Darren Carmichael, Mitchie Torres, Ella . . .

Uh, oh.

Mitchie groaned into her hand and pulled her sweatshirt hood farther over her face. So she and Caitlyn didn't end up in the same group, but somehow Tess, Peggy, Ella, and herself _all_ ended up in Shane's group. Perfect.

For the remainder of Brown's announcements Mitchie tried to remember what her life back at home was like with her best friend, Cierra. Sure, people there ignored her, but the people here hated her.

". . . stay safe! Now, get into your groups!"

The sudden jostling of moving campers startled Mitchie out of her brief reverie. She turned, trying not to be offended when a camper would intentionally bump into her as she made her way through the crowd to where Tess, Ella, Peggy, and the other group members were standing with Shane.

"Roll call!" Shane shouted in a tone she hadn't heard from him since their kitchen incident. It seemed he'd reverted back to being a jerk. And it was her fault.

Shane proceeded to call out names to make sure everyone was present. Mitchie noticed that when he said Tess's she practically seduced him when she purred, "Here!"

And then, for some reason Shane paused. He was staring down at the crumpled piece of paper in his hand for several seconds before he spat, "Mitchie Torres."

Someone in the group whispered, "So that's her _real_ name?"

There was a round of giggles, Tess being the loudest, until Mitchie closed her eyes and let out a strangled, "Present."

Mitchie watched as Shane turned his head toward her, positive that behind his dark sunglasses he was probably staring straight at her. He visibly gave himself a little shake before he turned away and shoved the already crumpled paper into his pocket.

"Lets just go, already," he said forcefully before stalking off in the direction of the woods.

The five other group members scurried to be as close to him as possible, but Mitchie strayed off to the side again, wishing the floor would open up so she could fall in and disappear.

Shane led the group through the woods, not even following the map that Brown had given all the councilors. Mitchie got the feeling that he had been through the woods many times before, perhaps when he was a camper. She imagined Shane sneaking out at night and into the woods to write his songs; it seemed to fit him.

The group continued to trample through a beaten trail, dodging plants and noises that made Tess squeal and attempt to grab onto Shane. Mitchie was somewhat happy to note that he seemed too preoccupied to notice the extra attention he was getting. Every once in a while he would randomly blurt out a relative camp fact such as, "That's where the first Camp Rock hike took place," or, "That's a tree".

By the time the group finally stopped moving, Tess was complaining about how her new shoes were ruined from all the mud. Mitchie shook her head and sat down on a large rock, still trying to watch Shane without him noticing her doing so. He too had claimed a rock and was thoughtfully strumming his guitar.

A few times Mitchie swore he turned to look at her, but the next second he was looking in another direction so she supposed she may have been seeing things. It was only when Tess started to hum a tune that sounded slightly familiar to Mitchie that Shane suddenly sat upright and stared oddly at her.

"What were you just singing?" he asked in shock.

All four of the campers plus Mitchie were watching the scene unfold in front of them. Shane had not given any of the campers attention the entire hike and now he was practically waiting with baited breath for Tess's answer.

Tess flipped her hair and smiled brightly at him. "Whatever are you talking about?" she asked in a phony voice.

Shane leaned closer to Tess, his eyes unmoving. It hurt Mitchie to see him so interested in the very girl who single handedly ruined her stay at Camp Rock.

"That song," he clarified.

"Oh, what I was singing?" Tess asked.

"Yeah," Shane softly. "Can you sing it again?"

Tess puffed out her chest slightly and glanced at Peggy and Ella who, for some reason, where looking rather guilty. Mitchie swallowed, wondering why Tess's song was so great. But then Tess began to sing.

"This is real, this is me! I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be! Gonna let the light -- Shiiiiiine on me!"

Mitchie gasped in horror. She covered her mouth with her hand and began to choke slightly, causing everyone to turn suddenly to look at her.

"What?" Tess asked Mitchie. "It's not the best, but you don't have to insult me!"

Shane wasn't paying any more attention to Mitchie. He seemed as if he were trying to decide something as he stared intently at Tess. Then he grinned and said, "That's the song."

Mitchie couldn't take it anymore. That was HER song! Tess had stolen her song book and memorized the song that she had poured her heart into! And now Shane was staring at Tess as if he was looking life itself in the face. Mitchie stood up quickly, silently pushing her way through the trees and away from the horrifying sight.

At first she found it odd that no one had shouted to her when she suddenly shot up and left, but everyone was so busy ogling at Tess and Shane that she somehow slipped away without anyone noticing. This thought made her feel even worse, and she started to sprint through the unfamiliar trees. Once she tripped on a rock and scraped her wrist, but even the stinging of blood trickling down her arm didn't revive her from the zone she was in.

By the time she was finally able to calm herself down, Mitchie realized she had absolutely no idea where she was. She sat down on the ground, leaning against a tree trunk. Tears were still dripping down her cheeks and she was gasping after running for such a long time. It was when she tilted her head back to look up into the tree branches that she began to panic slightly.

_Mitchie_, she thought warily. _What in the world have you gotten yourself into, now?_

She sat back up to gingerly examine the cut on her left wrist. It wasn't very deep, but it was covered in dirt. Mitchie tried her best to clean it with the sleeve of her sweatshirt, realizing that with the color green she was wearing, she must blend perfectly with the woods.

_Well, this is great, _she thought_. __No one will be able to find me . . . Do I want to be found?_

Mitchie frowned at the thought, wiping her face with her blood-free sleeve. She certainly felt like disappearing when everyone at Camp Rock only saw her as a liar. But then again, the few people who _did_ love her, mainly her mom and dad, would be devastated if she were to die.

_I have to get back to camp_, she thought, scrambling to her feet. _But how?_

Mitchie looked around, trying to remember exactly which way she had come from. If she could reach the resting spot or at least get somewhere near it she might be able to find one of the other twenty groups. For the first time Mitchie wondered if her own group had noticed she was gone, yet. More importantly, if _Shane _had notice she was gone. A stinging reminder that he was probably infatuated with Tess by now shoved any thoughts of Shane from her mind.

Mitchie grimaced; every direction looked exactly the same. With a shuddering breath, she trudged forward in a random direction, hoping that she wasn't just getting herself even farther away from civilization. Mitchie felt as if she has been walking for hours when she glanced up at the sky to find it darkening. A lone wolf in the distance howled, sending a shiver down Mitchie's spine. Her stomach was growling painfully and she remembered that she had not eaten breakfast that morning.

_Stupid, stupid_, she thought, crouching down on the ground for a short rest.

Every tree looked like the next, and Mitchie jokingly thought for a moment that she was walking in circles. The moment quickly passed when the sun disappeared behind the trees. All comical, joking, and happy feelings set across the horizon with the sun, and Mitchie began to panic.

_Oh, my gosh_, she thought, tears beginning to fill her eyes._ I'm going to die._

An image of herself wandering around while search groups followed behind came to mind, so she crawled over to where a tree branch was bent so low that it made a make-shift shelter from the wind that was starting to pick up. She curled herself into a ball against the tree trunk and laid her head across her knees.

Mitchie was unsure for how long she sat there, shivering and flicking mosquitoes off her bare hands. Every noise made her jump, every rustling bush made her crane her neck in search of a friendly face. She finally gave a dry sob and closed her eyes, blocking out the dark woods. She began to swim in a dark, comfortable void. And the only thing she saw was Shane.

He was strumming the guitar, shyly playing his new song for her down by the docks. They were laughing, spinning in circles across the lake in their canoe. His eyes were filled with pain, flashing with anger as he stalked away from her in front of the entire camp. He was staring at Tess, finally having found the mysterious girl with the song. And he was . . . Shaking her?

"Mitchie!"

Calling her name? No . . . Shane had barely been able to say her name earlier with roll call. This voice was filled with fear and concern. She was imagining it.

"Come on, wake up!

Why? This place was far better than reality. No pressure, no pain. It was just her. Her and Shane.

But why was Shane almost crying?

"Jesus Christ, Mitchie!

She had to see this for herself, just had to! Shane Gray did _not_ cry.

Mitchie opened her eyes, shuddering in the cold air. It was pitch black except for the lantern that Shane had thrown a few feet away that was casting a glow on his face as he looked down at her.

His breathing was ragged and his hair was wild from the wind. What shocked Mitchie the most was that Shane Gray _was_ almost crying. His brown eyes were glazed, but he grinned hopefully when he saw she had opened her own brown eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "You've got blood all down your sleeve and it's on your face, so I--"

"Shane," Mitchie said hoarsely, stopping his rant. "Its okay, I'm fine."

He nodded, staring into my eyes for a second before he suddenly let out a weird, strangled noise and stood, pacing in front of her.

"What the hell were you thinking, huh?" He nearly shouted. "Running off like that into the woods?"

He didn't even let Mitchie say one word before he continued, "You could have been hurt, god damn it!"

"But I wasn't," Mitchie cut in, staring up at him in the dark.

Shane rubbed his face roughly before running his fingers through his hair. "Scaring half the camp, causing most of the councilors to search for you for _hours_!"

"What do you mean 'most' of the councilors?" Mitchie asked, slowing Shane's furious pace.

"I wasn't technically allowed to come look for you in the dark when I was the one who let you disappear," he snapped. "But what the hell was I supposed to do? Sit all dandily in my cabin knowing you were out _here_?"

Mitchie immediately felt guilty for being so dramatic and even more stupid. She shut her eyes and leaned back against the tree.

Leaves crunched as Shane knelt down beside her, concerned once again. "What, you said you weren't hurt!"

Mitchie shook her head, dragging her knees closer to her body. "I'm a different kind of hurt," she mumbled.

Shane sighed heavily, pulling off his famous leather jacket and wrapping it around Mitchie's shivering shoulders. Had she not been so distressed she would have been freaking out to be wearing Shane Gray's signature leather jacket.

"You scared the shit out of me, Mitchie Torres," he whispered suddenly, causing Mitchie's eyes to snap open. He was looking at her intently, just as he had been eyeing Tess earlier that day. Only this time it seemed more personal. "Why did you do that?"

Mitchie opened her mouth, but no words came out. Would he even believe her if she told him that _she_ was the real girl with the song?

"I'm sorry," Was all Mitchie could think of to say. She turned away from Shane, clutching his jacket more tightly. But then, "How would you even notice I was gone if you were so busy with Tess?"

Immediately after the words left her mouth, Mitchie wanted to take them back. But Shane frowned.

"You think I wouldn't notice if you were gone?" he asked incredulously.

Mitchie shrugged. "Its what I'm usually like," she said sadly. "Y'know, without . . . Without the lie. I'm invisible."

Shane ignored Mitchie's statement and instead said, "Tess has nothing to do with what goes on between you and me."

"But you said she sang the song you were looking for. She's your mystery girl."

"She doesn't feel right," Shane said, knitting his eyebrows together. "_You_ do."

The two were silent as they stared at each other, not daring to look away. Shane's gaze was pouring into Mitchie, making her forget how cold she was or how terribly in trouble they both were. It was when Shane's brown eyes lowered to her lips that she realized who _she_ was and who _Shane_ was. She was the invisible girl with one friend and he was the huge superstar of Connect 3.

Mitchie scrambled up, startling Shane as she said, "We should, um, get back."

Shane swallowed, screwing up his eyes for a brief second before he jumped up and grabbed the lantern. Mitchie noticed he was refusing to look at her.

"Yeah, we should," Shane replied dully.

For a moment Mitchie regretted feeling so scared, but Shane was already marching forward into the trees. Her legs were slightly wobbly for sitting in such an uncomfortable position for so long and Mitchie struggled to keep up with Shane's wide stride.

"So, how did you find me?" she asked, nearly tripping over a tree root again.

Shane had turned when he heard her stumble, but when she was okay he said, "To be honest, I'm not really sure. I know these woods like the back of my hand, though."

Mitchie smiled. She had been correct in imagining him come here when he was a camper. If only she had the same skill in navigating through foreign trees.

Shane finally must have realized how fast he was walking for he slowed down enough for Mitchie to catch up. She knelt down, resting her hands on her knees, panting.

"Sorry," he muttered, shining the lantern over her.

Mitchie shook her head and straightened, determined to show Shane that she was not as incompitant as Tess. The two then began walking at a brisk pace which was still not nearly as fast as before.

"How much trouble do you think we'll be in?" she inqueried.

Shane almost chuckled, grinning wryly. "It's more like how much trouble we are _already_ in."

"Sorry," Mitchie replied immediately, still feeling guilty for getting Shane into trouble.

"That's your word, isn't it?" Shane said, holding a bush back for Mitchie. "Sorry this, sorry that. When are you going to stop saying 'sorry'?"

"Sorr-- I mean, um," she smiled guiltily at Shane.

They both walked in silence for several minutes, Mitchie dreading the stern scolding she knew she was going to receive from Brown and her mother. Shane was giving her the cold shoulder once more, and she realized it was because her had remembered her lie. It was only when she saw the small pinpricks of light coming from Camp Rock that she let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"Here we go," Shane warned, leading her onto the clear path down the hill from the woods.

Mitchie supposed her punishment could have been worse. She was immediately engulfed in a bone-crushing hug from her mother before Brown started in on her irresponsibility. She nearly blocked out his rant on how she could have been killed for Shane had already delivered the exact same speech in the woods. It was then that Brown assigned her trash duty for the next day, which meant she had to walk around the camp with a large trash bag and gather the trash from every single cabin.

"And as for you, my Nephew," Brown directed at Shane who was still being smothered by Mitchie's mom for saving her daughter. "You will also have trash duty."

Mitchie felt her spirits rise slightly. If Shane was going to do trash duty too, it might not be so bad. However, Shane was back to not looking at her and Mitchie's heart deflated.

"Yes, Uncle," Shane replied, finally pushing himself away from Mrs. Torres. "Eight o'clock, trash bag will be left outside my cabin. I know the drill."

Mitchie stifled a laugh. Obviously this wouldn't be Shane Gray's first time having trash duty. And he was right, for at exactly eight o'clock the next morning a trash bag was delivered to Mitchie's cabin. With it there was a package of disposable gloves and a map marking each cabin she was supposed to hit.

She sighed, opening the package of gloves and sliding them over her hands. They were far too big, but Mitchie decided she would rather have large globes than no gloves at all.

"Bye, Mom!" she called, letting the screen door slam behind her as she hopped off the steps to her cabin.

Mitchie shuffled over to the nearest cabin, dragging the trash bag behind her in the dirt. She knocked softly on the cabin's door, and when it opened she muttered, "Trash duty."

It was a dull, embarrassing job that seemed to last forever. Many of the campers informed her that Shane Gray had already picked up their trash, and usually this information was followed with a recounter of the entire situation, such as how Shane had smiled. Mitchie wasn't surprised when she finally saw him standing outside of Tess's cabin. What made her curious was that fact he seemed to be waiting for her.

"Hey," he said brightly when she had approached him.

"Um, hi," Mitchie replied. She set her trash bag onto the ground before asking, "What are you doing just standing here?"

Shane didn't answer, but instead pulled something out from the pocket of his jeans. With a gasp, Mitchie leapt forward and grabbed the object, hugging it to her chest.

"W-where?" she sputtered in shock, staring down at her beloved song book. The name 'Mitchie's Songs' was shinning brightly on the cover.

Shane grinned, then jabbed a finger toward Tess's cabin.

"It was in her _trash_?" Mitchie exclaimed angrily.

"Yeah, sadly," Shane replied, putting a hand on her shoulder. "But that's not what's important. _You_ wrote the song. _You _are the girl I've been looking for. Why didn't you say anything?"

Mitchie's anger for Tess melted away as she stared into Shane's brown eyes.

"I guess . . . I guess I wanted you to be happy," she said softly, still clutching her song book to her chest. "When you thought Tess was the girl you looked so elated."

Shane shook his head. "But I wasn't. Not really. At first I was shocked that she was singing the song I was looking for, but when I thought about it, nothing seemed to fit. Tess doesn't sing as well as you do, anyway."

Mitchie smiled, looking down at her boots. She could not belive this was actually happeneing to her.

"So," she started nervously. "I guess you found me in more than one way."

Shane didn't answer, and pulled off his garbage gloves only to replace his hand against her cheek.

"Those fit you perfectly," Mitchie observed, not able to move a finger. "They must have been made for you."

Shane shrugged, his fingers lightly tracing her jaw line. "I got into trouble a lot."

"Really?" Mitchie asked.

"Mitchie?" Shane muttered, shaking his head. "Shut up."

"Sorry."

Shanes's features broke out into a grin that later disappeared when he leaned forward and covered Mitchie's mouth with his own. The two stood that way, kissing tentatively, Mitchie's arms hanging oddly at her sides for she had not yet removed her gloves. When Shane pulled away, his eyes remained closed and he had a satisfied smile forming on his lips.

"Uh, Shane?" Mitchie asked suddenly. "I think we have an audience."

Shane turned his head toward Tess's cabin. There were three heads visible through the window, two of which seemed to be giggling happily. Tess on the other hand looked as if she wanted to throw Ella through the glass.

Shane laughed, moving to pull Mitchie's gloves off her hands. "You better get used to it," he whispered in her ear. "Because if you're going to be dating Shane Gray, this sort of thing is considered normal."

Mitchie smiled, running her hand through his thick, dark hair. "It's going to take a while," she said.

"Okay," Shane replied, pulling her body closer to his own. "Practice makes perfect, just like playing the guitar."

And with that he leaned forward and kissed her again.

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A/N: Okay, cheesy much? But I had fun, so I'm not complaining. If I get a lot of reviews, maybe I'll add another chapter to this after I've posted one to my other story. We'll see. BTW, did anyone notice that Ella doesn't have a last name? Lol. I looked everywhere for it, but even the official casting list doesn't have one. Please review! Cheers!

--Crystalbluu


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey, guys! Here's the next part of this one-shot, but it is really, really long. Also, in this, Shane didn't play 'Gotta Find You; to Mitchie at Camp Rock. And the song Mitchie wrote is mine, so I know it's probably not very good. Happy Reading!

Mitchie Torres coughed, sending waves of dust out from where she was lying on her stomach under her bunk. It was the last day of Camp Rock, and at the moment she was scouring the room for anything she might have missed while packing her suitcase. She crawled out, careful to not knock her head against the side of the bed, and placed a lone sock on top of the overflowing suitcase.

"And now to close it," she whispered to herself.

She wasn't exactly sure how her suitcase had become so over-stuffed, considering she had lost a considerable amount of clothing when Tess Tyler had thrown her belongings beside the lake. Mitchie had lost mostly her pajamas that day and also her bed quilt.

However, somewhere between becoming pop star Shane Grey's girlfriend and the remainder of Camp Rock she had secured a sizable collection of Shane's own clothing. Besides the leather jacket she had yet to return to him when he had given it to her in the woods, Mitchie also had several of Shane's T-Shirts, a few pairs of his socks, and even a laughable pair of his boxers decorated with microphones. Some of these Shane had willingly given to her, and some of these Mitchie had playfully stolen.

Mitchie frowned, roughly trying to zipper her suitcase shut to no avail.

"Ugh!" she groaned, only to jump in surprise when Shane appeared at her side. "How do you do that?" she asked, trying to stop her beating heart while Shane laughed at her reaction.

"Do what?" he asked.

"Randomly show up at my side," Mitchie replied, finally grinning at her boyfriend.

Shane shrugged. "I don't know. Sneaking past hoards of screaming fans has helped, I guess."

Mitchie chuckled and turned to lean against Shane's chest. The two hadn't discussed the fact that today was the last day of Camp Rock, yet, and she wasn't sure how things were going to turn out.

She breathed in the scent of his cologne, smiling softly into his T-shirt. "I'm going to have to practice that, then. You need to know what it feels like to have your heart burst out of your chest and run out the door."

Shane was silent for a few seconds before he said, "I can think of more important things we need to practice today."

Mitchie pushed her head away from his chest and looked up at Shane's face. "Practice?" she asked, shaking her head slightly. "I don't think we can call it practicing anymore, Shane."

"Why?"

She didn't respond, but instead stood on her toes and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. Then, without moving away, she whispered, "Because by now I think we're pretty much experts."

Shane grinned, and almost as if to prove her point, he lifted her up into his arms and kissed her deeply. Mitchie giggled as his hands moved dangerously low, but then he stumbled, almost dropping her to the floor.

"Damn," Shane mumbled, pulling away. "I try and be all cool by scooping you up easily and you _still_ make me dizzy."

Mitchie frowned mockingly, wrapping her arms around his neck for extra support. "Are you telling me that Shane Grey becomes dizzy when a mere girl kisses him?"

"No," he replied. "I'm telling you that Shane Grey becomes dizzy when Mitchie Torres kisses him. Other girls have _never_ had such an affect on him."

Mitchie curled her fingers around his shaggy hair, pushing a lock away from his eyes. "So now you're saying you've kissed other girls?"

Shane's expression changed. "Uh, Mitch, I know we've never talked about this before, but-"

"Shane!" Mitchie cut in, laughing as he stopped his babbling. "I was kidding. I know you've had other relationships, I read about them in _Pop Informer Magazine_."

Shane set Mitchie back down on the floor but still kept his arms wrapped around her waist. "Still," he started, leaning his chin on the top of her head. "I think you really should know that I've never been this way with anyone else before."

"Me neither," Mitchie replied, sighing against his chest. "Shane?"

"Yeah?"

"What's going to happen after today?" She pushed away from him so she could see his face. "What's going to happen when I go back to being a junior in high school and you go back to touring as Shane Grey, lead singer of Connect 3?"

Shane cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, I was kind of hoping that nothing would change."

"Oh."

Mitchie physically felt her face fall, and she tried to hide her disappointment by looking down at her shoes. He didn't want anything to change. That meant he wanted his life to revert back to where it was before he went to Camp Rock.

"No, no!" Shane exclaimed, tilting Mitchie's face back up. "I didn't mean I want things to go 

back to the way they were before, I meant I didn't want things to change from . . . Well, I want things to stay the way they are _now_."

Mitchie bit her lip, stopping the full-blown smile from forming. "So you don't want to break up because of the distance?"

"Shane Grey doesn't run away from a challenge," he replied cheekily, leaning down hug Mitchie tightly.

"Shane Grey also has an enormous ego," Mitchie whispered into his ear. "And why do we always end up speaking in third person?"

"I don't know," Shane said. "But it looks like Mitchie Torres stole Shane Grey's lucky boxers."

"I use them as pajamas!" Mitchie protested.

Shane shut his eyes, shaking his head as a dirty grin appeared on his lips. "Whatever you do," he said, coughing. "Don't bring that image back into my head."

"Why, is it a bad image?" Mitchie asked, moving over to where her open suitcase lay on her bed.

"No," Shane said in a strangled voice. "It was just _too_ good of an image."

Mitchie blushed when she realized what Shane was inferring and quickly tried to change the subject. "How about Shane Grey helps Mitchie Torres close her suitcase?"

Hours later Mitchie was starring moodily out the passenger window of her mother's car. The two were driving home, which meant summer was over and she wouldn't be seeing Shane for who knows _how_ long.

"Cheer up, baby," Mrs. Torres said, glancing sideways at her daughter. "Your first day of your junior year is tomorrow."

"Great," Mitchie muttered, pushing her bangs from her eyes. "School."

Mrs. Torres sighed. "We'll figure something out, okay? Maybe if your grades are looking good and I find another catering job we'll be able to send you out to see Shane."

Mitchie immediately perked up and turned away from the window. "Really, Mom? When?"

"Well," Mrs. Torres said thoughtfully. "Maybe in October for your birthday."

"Mom," Mitchie complained, banging her head against her knees. "October isn't for another month!"

"Try and get used to it, Honey. We won't always be able to send you out to see him and I'm sure he's going to be a very busy boy with his touring. Nobody ever said a long distance relationship was going to be easy."

Mitchie sighed, turning back toward the speeding fields. Her mother was right, it just hurt to acknowledge the truth. Sure, it was easy to be happy about a long distance relationship when Shane was right beside her, but now? The mere idea seemed impossible.

"Hey, Mom?" Mitchie asked, suddenly remembering something. "What should I do when I get to school?"

"Well, study hard, do your homework, get -"

"No!" Mitchie exclaimed anxiously. "I mean about Shane."

"I think it's your decision," Mrs. Torres replied. "Do whatever you think is best for _you_, not other people."

Mitchie nodded thoughtfully before pulling her cell phone out of her pocket and selecting Shane's number. Then she pressed _edit_, and erased Shane's name and replaced it with _Popstar_.

"I don't think I'm ready to have paparazzi hounding me all day," Mitchie announced to her mother before drafting a text to Shane.

_Miss you already! By the way, I've decided to keep 'us' a secret. Just for now. You can tell your good friends, but I don't want to be in the newspaper any time soon. xoxox Michie_

Mitchie snapped her phone shut and leaned back against her seat, closing her eyes. It was certainly going to be quite an experience having a secret celebrity boyfriend. It was the first time Mitchie found herself wishing he wasn't Shane Grey, famous singer, but only Shane, Mitchie Torres's long distance boyfriend.

A buzz from Mitchie's pocket brought her out of her reverie, and she quickly flipped open her phone to find a message from _Popstar_.

_I miss you more! You don't have Jason sitting next to you asking if he can say 'hi' to you every five minutes. I think that's a good plan. I don't want you getting hurt when I'm hundreds of miles away and can't protect you. Oh, and Nate won't let me say anything else until I ask you what Caitlyn's number is. Apparently he lost the piece of paper she gave him and he's freaking out. REALLY wish I was with you right now! --Shane_

Mitchie giggled softly at Shane's message and quickly sent him Caitlyn's number. At least it sounded like she and Shane wouldn't be the only one's struggling with a long distance relationship.

The next day Mitchie crawled out of bed and went downstairs to grab some leftover pancakes her Mom had left on the table before she left for work. Apparently she had received a job offering and Mitchie hoped her mother secured it so she could visit Shane in October.

As the pancakes heated in the microwave, she absentmindedly flipped _Hot Tunes _on. Mitchie was just dousing her breakfast with maple syrup when the sound of Shane's name made her head snap up to the television.

"Shane Grey is back in L.A. to start promoting boy band Connect 3's fall tour. Our very own Barbara Mentis has an exclusive look with the pop star now."

The scene on the television changed to a reporter standing beside Nate, Shane, and Jason. All three appeared very tired beneath their dark sunglasses.

"I'm here live with Connect 3," Barbara was saying, but Mitchie stared at Shane, knowing that he was standing in L.A., at that very moment, being interviewed while she was sitting at her kitchen table eating pancakes.

"Shane," Barbara said. "Have you come to your senses after spending the summer at Camp Rock?"

"Ah, yes, I would say I'm back on my feet in the real world, now," Shane replied, nodding his head slightly.

"We hear you three performed for the campers. Was that surreal after having been campers yourselves?" Barbara asked.

"Yeah, it was really cool to be there," Nate replied into the microphone. "We love that camp and it's a very good place to go to if you want to improve your music skills."

"And build birdhouses," Jason added.

Mitchie laughed at the reporter's expression and placed a bite of pancake in her mouth. Jason sure hadn't changed.

"Shane, the fans want to know: In recent pictures of you arriving home yesterday and today, why aren't you wearing your signature jacket?"

Mitchie smiled, knowing his leather jacket lay tucked into her closet upstairs in her bedroom.

Shane stalled for a second before saying, "I, uh, I gave it to someone very special."

And then, before the reporter could say much more, Nate leaned into the microphone and said, "Our fall tour starts this week, so buy your tickets on our myspace page!"

And then the scene switched back to the studio. Mitchie giggled, chewing slowly. Shane's comment was sure to induce many curious paparazzi and angry girl fans. It was too bad she wouldn't be able to wear his jacket in public anymore.

Mitchie shoved her last bite of breakfast into her mouth before depositing her plate into the dishwasher and heading upstairs to figure out what she was going to wear. For a split second she contemplated throwing on one of Shane's T-shirts for emotional support, but thought against it when she remembered how many girls at her school were die-hard Shane Grey fans. Instead she pulled on a pair of jeans and a cute top that was tight around the waist but then flared out. Mitchie figured her hair was fine the way it was (straight) and grabbed her backpack and songbook before heading out the door to start walking to school.

On the way Mitchie began to think about her best friend from school, Sierra. She wondered if she should tell Sierra about her relationship with Shane or if it would be best to keep quiet for now.

She pulled out her cell phone and sent a message to _Popstar_:

_Hey, saw you on Hot Tunes this morning. Thanks to you I can't wear your jacket to school! Haha, I'm just kidding. You look tired, get some sleep! xoxox Mitchie_

Mitchie smiled and pressed _send_ before slipping her cell phone back into her jeans pocket. She hoped she hadn't interrupted Shane with her text. Who knew, he could be doing an interview with _Extra_ or something.

Mitchie reached her high school within ten minutes and immediately went to the office to receive her schedule. All around her people were talking about the awesome summers they had had and Mitchie experienced a quick flashback of her own summer memories. She was pulled out of her reverie when Sierra gave her a hug and said, "Happy first day of school" in mandarin.

"So, how was your summer?" Mitchie asked Sierra as the two headed for their newly assigned lockers. Luckily they were both in the same row.

"Oh, my family went to France, remember? I learned how to speak French fluently! And the history there was amazing. I was able to start my AP History assignments two weeks ago!"

"Sounds . . . Fun." Mitchie said, trying to be supportive for her over-achieving friend. "I ended up going to Camp Rock."

"What?" Sierra exclaimed. "I thought you couldn't afford it!"

Mitchie shrugged, opening her locker and placing a few new notebooks inside. "My mom ended up getting a catering job there, so I was able to go."

Sierra smiled, and then said slyly, "I heard _Shane Grey_ was there because he was being 

unreasonable. Did you meet him?"

At sound of Shane's name, Mitchie nearly dropped her backpack onto the floor. She still hadn't decided whether or not she was going to tell Sierra, but she made a split second decision that would. After all, she was going to need _someone_ to vent out her frustrated feelings to.

"Uh, Sierra? If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell _anybody_?" Mitchie asked seriously, glancing around to make sure no one was trying to listen to their conversation.

"Yeah, what's wrong, Mitchie?" Sierra asked in a concerned tone, putting a hand on Mitchie's shoulder.

Mitchie took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to think of the best way to say what she wanted to say. "Okay," she started. "You know how you mentioned Shane Grey?"

"Yes," Sierra said, motioning for Mitchie to continue.

"Well, the truth is that we became friends, but then I did something stupid and we weren't friends, but then I got lost in the woods and he came and found me and-"

"Whoa, Mitchie," Sierra said, shaking her head. "Slow down. You got lost in the _woods_?"

"Um, yeah," Mitchie said softly, realizing that she could have excluded that part. "But that's not really important."

"What are you trying to say?" Sierra asked impatiently.

Mitchie sighed, pressing her lips together. "You have to promise me you aren't going to scream, okay?"

"Okay . . ."

Mitchie lowered her voice, then said quickly, "Shane and I are dating."

Sierra clapped a hand against her mouth to keep her squeal from bursting out. Her eyes widened behind her glasses, and when she took her hand away she gasped, "You? And Shane? And you? And . . . Dating?"

It was the first time Mitchie had ever seen her extremely loquacious friend speechless. However, at that very moment, her cell phone buzzed inside her pocket. She held up a finger to Sierra and pulled the phone from her pocket to find a text message from the very person she was discussing.

_Oh, god. Sorry, I wasn't thinking when she asked me that question. At least now it kind of seems like I'm taken! And, yes. I am very tired. You can thank Jason for snoring in the limo the entire ride home. How's your first day of school going? -- Shane_

"It's from _him_, isn't it?" Sierra asked.

Mitchie nodded, debating on whether to reply to Shane right away or to wait until she was in class.

"So . . . You're seriously his girlfriend?"

"Yeah," Mitchie said, playing with her cell phone. "But it's not what you think. To me it just seems like he's a regular person, you know?"

"With an incredible singing voice," Sierra stated. "And _lots _fan girls. Actually, I should warn you, Mitchie."

"Warn me about what?" Mitchie asked cautiously.

"Well, I heard Lexi Goldberg talking with her friends about how she has a backstage pass to Connect 3's concert this weekend out in California."

Mitchie felt her heart sink. Lexi was basically the Tess of her high school: blonde, snotty, scheming, and obsessed with Shane. And to think Lexi was going to be seeing Shane before she was really hurt.

"But I'm sure everything will be fine," Sierra assured her friend. "He has a big body guard, right?"

The bell rang before Mitchie could answer, and she was forced to head to her first class picturing Lexi doing a back flip over a large body guard and forcibly kissing Shane. She sat down in a seat near the back, flipping her cell phone over in her hands. She was going to have to get used to the fact that Shane had many admirers. There was nothing he could do to stop that from happening. However, it was just the thought of beautiful Lexi seeing him that made Mitchie's stomach hurt.

Mitchie instinctively flipped open her cell phone; she wasn't exactly sure what she was going to say, but as soon as her fingers touched the keypad, she couldn't stop.

_First day isn't going very well and class hasn't even started yet. I don't know, I guess I just miss you. It doesn't seem fair that a bunch of people get to see you at your concerts while I'm stuck here. XoxoxoX Mitchie_

After Mitchie sent her message to Shane, she couldn't help but feel stupid. She hoped Shane, who was over two years older than she was, wouldn't think she was acting spoiled and whiny. However, at that very moment, Lexi herself came stalking into the classroom with her usual entourage and sat right next to Mitchie. Apparently sitting in the front was deemed un-cool.

"And did you hear what he said on _Hot Tunes_ this morning?" Lexi asked her friends, fluffing her highlighted blonde hair. "Do you think he was telling the truth?"

"About what?" One of Lexi's friends asked.

Lexi glared, rolling her eyes. "Hel-lo! His leather jacket! He said he _gave_ it to someone!"

Mitchie felt a strange bubble of joy forming in the pit of her stomach. She bit her lip and stared at her phone, waiting for it to vibrate with _Popstar's _message. She was going to need his comfort to get through the first day of not being Shane's only girl.

"I'm going to ask him backstage who he gave it to," Lexi continued. "Hopefully he was lying to get the press off his back. I mean, _I_ know what that feels like."

"You know what it's like to be hounded by paparazzi every second of your life?" Mitchie suddenly asked, though she immediately regretted it.

Lexi turned to face Mitchie, an arrogant expression on her perfect face. "Was I even talking to you, Nerd?"

"Well, no," Mitchie answered in a soft voice. "But you don't know what Shane goes through."

"And you do?" Lexi asked snottily. "I'm closer to the celebrity world than you are."

Mitchie decided she liked Tess much more than Lexi. However, the bell rang which prevented her from having to reply to Lexi's comment. Mitchie shut herself into the first day, becoming slightly more depressed as time went on and Shane still hadn't replied to her message. She was starting to think it was a bad idea to inform him how she felt when she finally received a text from him as she was walking home from school.

_Hey, babe, so sorry it took so long for me to reply. We were going over a new song and Nate stole my phone when I wasn't paying attention. Don't worry, I'll get back at him somehow . . . Damn, really wish I was seeing you instead of all these fake Shane Grey fans. Trust me when I say you have _nothing _to worry about._ _But what brought this on, anyway?—Shane_

Mitchie sighed, remembering why she liked Shane so much. He just seemed to understand everything she was feeling, good and bad. Instead of texting him like he was expecting Mitchie dialed his number. She needed to hear his voice. The phone rang for several seconds, and just as Mitchie was beginning to think Shane wasn't going to pick up, he did.

"Hello?" he asked in a voice that sounded strangely breathless.

Hearing Shane's voice was like an ice-cold glass of lemonade on a hot day. "Hey," she said, smiling into the phone.

There was a commotion on the other end of the line, and what sounded like someone yelling, "Ouch!" before Shane spoke again.

"Mitch! Sorry, I had some . . . things to take care of," Shane said slowly.

Mitchie giggled as she heard Jason's voice say, "Oh, my god, it's Mitchie!"

"Feels good to hear you laugh," Shane sighed, but then he said in a forced whisper, "Go screw yourself."

"What?" Mitchie asked, shocked.

"Not you!" Shane exclaimed. "Nate's being an ass right now."

"Oh," Mitchie said, sitting on a park bench so she could focus on Shane's voice. "Why?"

"Because I hid his cell phone when Caitlyn was supposed to call," Shane replied simply. "So . . . How're you doing?"

"I'm . . . Pulling through," Mitchie said honestly. "I just didn't realize how tough this was going to be."

"I know," Shane said in a tired voice. "I keep expecting a message from you saying this whole thing isn't worth it."

"Really?" Mitchie asked, almost laughing. "Because I keep thinking you're going to send me a message saying you've found someone better than me."

"Mitchie, the only person who doesn't see me as the rock star Shane Grey is you. Why would I want one of those sleazy fan girls, anyway?"

Mitchie giggled. "I see you've promoted yourself from 'pop star' to 'rock star'."

"Don't even try and change the subject, Torres," Shane said playfully. "I worked too hard to avenge not being able to talk to you all day for you to not open up."

"Okay," Mitchie sighed. "But you're going to think it's really stupid and dramatic."

"Try me."

"The Tess of my school, Lexi, has been bragging the entire day how she has backstage passes to your concert this Friday and how she's going to . . ." Mitchie trailed of in the end, blushing even if she couldn't see Shane.

"Hang on," Shane said. There was a shuffling sound for a few seconds before he said, "Okay, we're alone, now. You can tell me."

"She said she was going to . . . Seduce you or something," Mitchie finally forced out, a little more comfortable now that she knew Jason and Nate were out of earshot.

"If she's anything like Tess Tyler I can hardly imagine this girl successfully seducing me, Mitch," Shane said reassuringly.

"I know," Mitchie said. "But, it's just . . . This girl hasn't exactly been nice to me all the years we've been going to school together and it would kill me if she stole the one thing that actually matters to me."

"This is really bothering you, isn't it?" Shane asked. When Mitchie didn't say anything, he said, "There's something you aren't telling me about this girl, isn't there."

Mitchie rubbed her eyes with her free hand. She wasn't partial to the idea of telling Shane just how much of an outcast she and Sierra were at school. She worried that if he knew, he'd think of her differently.

"Have you seen the movie _Mean Girls_?" She asked reluctantly.

"Nope," Shane said. "We don't really have a lot of free time, and when we do we watch a movie like _10,000 BC_."

"Okay, never mind, then."

"Mitchie," Shane whined. "C'mon."

"There's really not much to tell," Mitchie said, choosing her words carefully. "This girl basically . . . Teases me."

"Why would someone want to tease you?" Shane asked.

"Maybe because they see me differently than you do," Mitchie replied simply. "And I haven't really cared until she started talking about you."

Shane was silent for a few seconds before he said, "I'll figure something out."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mitchie asked quickly. She didn't want Shane to be worrying about her when he should be focusing in his tour.

"Just what I said," Shane said firmly, obviously not wanting to divulge any further information. "Listen, I won't be able to concentrate knowing you aren't happy, so promise me you won't worry about this anymore, okay?"

Mitchie sighed, nodding even as she said, "Alright, I promise."

"Good," Shane said softly. "Oh, uh, Jason wants to talk to you."

Mitchie didn't even have enough time to utter 'okay' before Jason was saying, "Mitchie!"

"Hi, Jason," Mitchie said, laughing in spite of herself. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Jason said. "I just wanted to tell you how much Shane's been talking about you. I don't think he knows any other topics. He's even writing a song about−"

Mitchie started laughing again when she heard the sound of Shane saying something and buttons on the other line being pressed before Jason said, "Sorry, Shane didn't want me to say that. Bye, Mitchie!"

"I'll talk to you later, Jason," Mitchie promised.

"Sorry 'bout that," Shane's voice said.

"Don't be, I love Jason and Nate," Mitchie said, and then, in a cheeky tone, "I've started writing a song about you, too."

"Why are you all red, Shane?" Jason said from the other line.

Mitchie giggled, loving how much she and Shane tortured each other.

"You'll have to sing it to me, then," Shane replied.

"Only if you sing yours to me when we see each other again."

"Don't worry," Shane said slyly. "If I have my way, you'll be hearing it.

Before Mitchie could question Shane's suspicious comment, Nate was yelling, "Shane, where the hell is my phone?"

"I don't know, probably with the stick up your −"

"Shane!" Mitchie scolded, finding it hard not to find Connect 3's bantering funny.

"Sorry, Mitch," he replied guiltily. "I should probably go give him his phone, though."

Shane was soon forced to say goodbye, and Mitchie felt the familiar feeling of depression settling in her stomach when he was gone. She stood up from the park bench and decided to take the long way home in order to relax herself. By the time she finally reached her house, Mrs. Torres's car was sitting in the driveway.

"Mom!" Mitchie called as she opened the front door. "I'm home!"

Mitchie set her backpack into a kitchen chair and grabbed an apple from the bowl on the table. She rinsed it in the sink before leaving in search of her mother, munching on her snack along the way. Mitchie found her mom talking on the phone in the backyard. She was nodding her head and writing something down on a pad of paper before she hung up and turned to Mitchie.

"Hey, Sweetie, how was school?"

Mitchie shrugged. "School was . . . School. Did you get that catering job?"

Mrs. Torres shook her head. "No, I couldn't take it because the offer was for Wednesday, which just isn't enough time to plan the menu."

Mitchie sighed. It seemed nothing was going right for her today. "Okay, well I'm going to go upstairs and do homework."

"On the first day of school?"

Mitchie froze, grimacing. "Um, yeah, junior year is going to be really difficult."

Mrs. Torres shook her head in disbelief. "Schools these days, overworking you poor kids."

Mitchie made her way back inside, making sure to grab her backpack before going into her bedroom. She would have had a hard time explaining to her mother how she was doing homework without her backpack. She flipped onto her bed and pulled out her song book, thinking. The words she had already written were glaring up at her, forcefully reminding her of Shane.

_I may have only know you a while,_

_Yet you know just how_

_To make me smile._

Mitchie unscrewed the cap of her pen and pressed it to the paper, thinking. Her emotions were overflowing, and she needed to get them out in the only way she knew how: song writing.

_There's a distance that is separatin' us_

_Staring me down,_

_Causing such a fuss._

_And it doesn't help that _

_I can't make you see_

_Everythin' that you're unintentionally doin' _

_To me. _

_You're in my head twenty-four seven,_

_Steering my dreams,_

_Pullin' me towards heaven._

_Making me wish that I,_

_Could look you in those big brown eyes,_

_And make myself, _

_A part of your mind. _

Mitchie stopped writing, satisfied with what she had so far. Everything she had written was like pulling her emotions from her body and displaying them onto a piece of paper. She _did_ really miss Shane, even if they had only known each other for a few months and been away from each other for a day. She wasn't exactly sure what she was feeling for Shane, and she definitely didn't know if he felt the same way about her.

She sighed, closing her song book and leaning back onto her pillows. Life was much more complicated with Shane, and yet, now that she had him, she couldn't imagine what she would be doing without him. Mitchie found herself wondering how things would be if she and Shane announced that they were dating. Surprisingly, now the idea wasn't sounding so scary.

The rest of the week flew by in a flurry of school work, messages to and from Shane, and the bragging comments coming from Lexi. Sierra had finally come out of her shocked mode and accepted Mitchie's secret, even discussing Mitchie's worries and aggravation from having a long distance relationship. When Friday, the day of Connect 3's opening concert finally came, Mitchie didn't even know what to feel anymore. Lexi was absent, undoubtedly in California preparing for the concert.

"Well," Sierra said as she and Mitchie sat down at lunch. "At least you don't have to listen to her lie about the things she's done with Shane."

"Yeah," Mitchie said dully, stirring her macaroni and cheese. "But when she was here I knew she was lying because I knew what Shane was actually doing. But now she's out _there,_ I have no idea what's going on."

Things got worse as the day went on; Shane wasn't replying to any of her text messages and all of her calls went straight to his voice mail. She supposed he was busy with preparing for the concert, but she was disappointed that she couldn't even wish him, "Good luck."

By the time Mitchie was emotionlessly placing forkfuls of dinner in her mouth, all she could think about was Lexi. About how the popular girl would forcefully flirt with Shane and how she could do nothing about it. Sure, she knew other fans were bound to flirt with him. The only reason it hurt was because it was a girl she knew and loathed.

"Mitchie," Mrs. Torres suddenly said, clearing her daughter's plate. "You need to go upstairs to your room."

"Why?" Mitchie asked, trying to remember if she had done something wrong.

"There's a surprise for you," Mrs. Torres said, obviously trying not to reveal too much information. "All I can tell you is that your computer has to be turned on with you in front of it by eight o'clock."

Mitchie frowned, standing up slowly. "Okay, uh, thanks, Mom."

Mitchie bounded up the stairs to her bedroom, opened the door, and stood, staring at her computer monitor. It was turned on, and the words 'Sit and relax, Mitch' were flashing across the screen. There was only one person who called her 'Mitch'. . . Her heart jumped with excitement as she sat down in front of the screen, eyeing the clock that read 7:57. Three minutes.

Mitchie clenched her desk, watching the words flash over and over again. She was so focused that it took her a second to realize that the screen was changing, and that she was now looking at a picture of Shane's face.

"Hey, Mitch," he said, grinning. Then he frowned, saying, "At least, I hope you're watching this right now. I enlisted your Mom's help to set this up."

He paused, turning around to look at something Mitchie couldn't see. He seemed to be beckoning to someone and then he whispered, "Nate, take the camera!"

The scene bent over and Mitchie saw the floor for a few seconds before the view was right-side up again. Shane smiled, running a hand through his hair.

"Okay, that's better . . . I think. Anyway, this is a one-way web cam. Everything is live, and you're going to be seeing the reason for all of this very, very soon."

"We all hope it'll be soon," Nate's voice suddenly said.

Shane glared at the camera, making Mitchie laugh. He stood up, grabbed the camera from Nate, and flipped it around so Mitchie was looking at a hallway. "So, this is backstage," he said from behind the camera as he walked. "And this," he said, opening a door, "Is my dressing room."

"It's not much because I'm only using it once before we drive to the next location, but you're the only person who'll be seeing it," he said, moving the camera so Mitchie could see his dressing room.

The room was small, containing a couch, a miniature refrigerator, and a rack full of many colored clothes. Shane zoomed in on an object sitting on a small table and said, "And this is what has been keeping me sane."

It was a picture of the two of them from Camp Rock. Caitlyn had gone around on the second to last day snapping pictures of all the campers. She and Shane were sitting in their canoe, Shane midway through splashing Mitchie with the cold lake water.

"Caitlyn sent it to Nate," Shane explained. And then, in a joking tone, "She also sent him a few gifts that I have yet to find out what they are."

Mitchie smiled, leaning on her elbow as Shane turned the camera around to face himself again. His hair had obviously been professionally done, and he was wearing a pair of black jeans, a white T-shirt, and a gold jacket.

"So, I'm actually going to turn this off for a bit because have to set some stuff up, but I'll be back soon," Shane said, grinning crookedly. Then he sighed, eyeing the camera differently. "I wish you could talk to me too, Mitch. But we will later, you'll see. And I . . . " he trailed off, looking away from the camera as the sound of a door being opened was heard.

Mitchie couldn't make out what the mystery person was saying, but Shane turned back to the camera a few seconds later and said, "This is where I leave you. See you soon."

Mitchie nearly shouted, "Wait!" as the camera was flipped over, viewing the floor for a moment before it was turned off. She slumped back in her chair, staring at a blank screen. Shane hadn't mentioned just when he was coming back, and she knew he had to be leaving for the stage to begin the concert.

She swallowed, realizing just how lucky she was to have Shane as a boyfriend. She also needed to thank her mother for taking part in setting this up. Just then, the screen changed from being blank to viewing a stage. Mitchie almost couldn't hear anything above the blinding sound of cheers. The camera was almost at an aerial angle, though she could perfectly see the stage as it was zoomed in. Suddenly, the screams became louder as Nate, Shane, and Jason shot upward from the underneath the stage, landing perfectly on their feet.

"Hello, Los Angeles!" Shane shouted into a microphone.

The crowd screamed even louder, and Mitchie wondered how Shane could stand the noise. It was only after the first two songs that Mitchie realized she was basically watching the entire concert with a front row seat, absolutely free of charge. She couldn't take her eyes off Shane, who, under the bright lights and fooling around with his band mates, was sweating rather sexily. He, Nate, and Jason seemed to be having the time of their lives, and Mitchie wished she could actually have a chance to see them in concert.

"Alright," Shane said, whipping his forehead with the back of his gold sleeve. "You guys are about to hear a brand new, never before heard song."

The crowd cheered wildly, and Shane grinned, waiting for them to calm down before he continued. "It's a special song for me, written for someone I really, really care about."

He looked upward, staring right into the camera. "Mitchie Torres," He said. "This one's for you."

Mitchie unintentionally held her breath, her mouth open in shock. Shane had just announced to an entire stadium of people that he cared about her. And she was elated to feel happy that he did. She watched intently as Shane reached backstage for an acoustic guitar, ignoring the cheering fans as he stood, beginning to play.

_Every time I think I'm closer to the heart  
Of what it means to know just who I am  
__I think I've finally found a better place to start  
But no one ever seems to understand_

_I need to try to get to where you are  
Could it be, you're not that far_

_You're the voice I hear inside my head,  
the reason that I'm singing  
I need to find you  
I gotta find you  
You're the missing piece I need,  
the song inside of me  
I need to find you  
I gotta find you_

Mitchie felt herself starting to cry. Everything Shane was singing about was answering all her questions, everything she had written about. And it was about _her. _When Shane finally finished singing, the crowd erupted into tremendous applause. Mitchie even found herself clapping, all the while wiping tears away.

Everything after the song seemed to speed by. Shane, Nate, and Jason all went up to the front of the stage, bowed, and ran off to loud cheering. She was staring at an empty stage again until the screen went blank after a couple of minutes. Mitchie bit her lip, hoping that it wasn't all over. Twenty minutes went by before a new sentence popped up onto the screen:

_Open package under your pillow, plug it in, and select 'Accept video chat'._

Mitchie shot up off her chair, nearly tripping as she tossed her pillow aside to find a package wrapped in brown postage paper. She ripped it off quickly to find a top of the line web cam gleaming up at her. Pulling it from the box, Mitchie hoped she could plug it in correctly without reading the instructions. After downloading the software, a window popped up that said, "Do you accept a video chat with Connectsingr08?"

Mitchie closed her eyes, knowing she was about to talk to Shane. To see Shane and speak to him at the same time. She turned toward a mirror to make sure her appearance was acceptable before clicking the 'accept' button. The window loaded for a few seconds, but then Shane's face was suddenly visible, sweaty and oh-so-welcoming.

"Shane!" Mitchie exclaimed, wishing she could hug him. He was grinning at her with a satisfied glint in his brown eyes.

"Hey, Mitch," he said. "So, did you enjoy the concert?"

"Shane, I . . . I don't even know what to say," Mitchie said softly.

"Good," he replied quickly. "Because I have one more surprise for you."

Mitchie's eyes widened, and she asked, "What more can you possibly do?"

"Just wait a second," he said, and picked up his laptop, showing Mitchie to Connect 3's backstage room. "You're going to be here with me the entire time," he explained.

"You mean . . ."

"You'll be able to say 'hi' to Lexi," Shane said immediately, setting the laptop on a table so it was facing him again. "But first, say 'hi' to Nate and Jason!"

Jason and Nate appeared next to Shane, smiling brightly. "Hey, guys!" Mitchie said excitedly, smiling brightly.

"Mitchie!" Jason shouted, forcing his way more into the screen. "I _told_ you Shane was writing a song about you!"

Mitchie giggled. "Yes, you did, Jase. You guys did amazing out there!"

"Thanks," Nate said. "We're just glad we were able to help."

"Check this out, Mitchie!" Jason said, pressing something on the computer. Shane, Nate, and Jason's faces suddenly changed colors. "We're a rainbow!"

Everyone laughed, but the members of Connect 3 turned as a door opened and people with backstage passes started to file in. Mitchie was introduced to every single person who walked up to Shane, some people squealing at being able to meet her and some acting indifferent because Shane was now taken. However, it was when Lexi finally walked up to Shane that things got interesting.

"Oh, my god, you were amazing!" she squealed, not noticing his laptop yet.

"Thanks," Shane said politely, still not knowing who Lexi was yet. He held up his laptop and said, "This is Mitchie Torres, my girlfriend."

Mitchie watched as Lexi's facial expression turned sour. "Mitchie?! Is that _you_?"

Shane turned to look at Mitchie while she nodded, giving him a look that said, "This is Lexi."

"Hi, Lexi," she said shyly. "Did you enjoy the concert?"

Lexi glared at her, crossing her arms. Then, completely ignoring Mitchie, she asked, "You're seriously dating this girl?"

"Yup," Shane replied, grinning. "Why, do you have a problem with that?"

"No," Lexi said. "But . . . Why would you want to date her? She's so . . . normal. She can't _do_ anything."

Shane paused, looking down at Mitchie again who was trying to keep a straight face. "Actually," he said slowly, trying to control his temper. "Mitchie is an amazing singer. Now, if you'll excuse us, I believe backstage hours are over. It was . . . Nice meeting you."

Shane ignored Lexi's attempts of grabbing his attention as Shane carried his laptop out of his room and back into his dressing room. He set it down, just looking intently at Mitchie for a few minutes.

"Um, thanks for sticking up for me," Mitchie said quietly. "No one's ever done that before."

Shane nodded, still not saying a word. Mitchie was beginning to feel worried when he finally said, "You _are_ amazing, Mitch. And I'm not just saying it just to say it."

He moved off the couch to crouch down in front of the screen. "I think what we have . . . it's not like anything I've ever felt before."

"I think so too," Mitchie whispered. "It's different."

"Good different," Shane clarified, still staring at her. "I wish I could kiss you right now," he said suddenly.

Mitchie giggled, shaking her head. "I've been wishing that for the past few hours, Shane."

"Well, I've been wishing that for the past few _days_," he said, laughing too. "This web cam thing will work out for a while, but pretty soon I may have to throw a pop star hissy fit until they let me fly out to see you."

"I can play you the song _I _wrote for _you_," Mitchie said. "As soon as I finish it."

Shane smiled. "Looking forward to it," he said softly. "You look really pretty, by the way."

"You look pretty good yourself," Mitchie said, then in a different voice, "I was getting kind of hot watching you all sweaty up on the stage."

Shane banged his head against the table, almost knocking over something. "You. Are. Evil," he said in sharp bursts.

Mitchie blushed slightly, but not regretting her comment. "It's just a little incentive to get you out here a little faster," she said slyly.

Shane finally looked up at Mitchie again, shaking his head. "Mitch, you're all the incentive I need."

A/N: So I know this plot line is a tad overused, but I put my own spin on it. In most of these stories, Shane flies Mitchie out to his concert or something. I thought my way would be slightly more realistic. Hope you liked it, please review!


	3. AN

A/N: Hey, guys! This story has been nominated for the Official Camp Rock Fanfiction awards in the romance/fluff category. Go to ScarlettBlush's profile and send a PM to vote for _Found Me Twice_. Who knows, maybe I'll add another chapter soon . . . . muahahaha. Thanks guys, being nominated was amazing!

--crystalbluu


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